Spring construction



Oct. 28, 1941. K. A.-ROBINSON 2,260,954

SPRING CONSTRUCTION Filed June 5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR 1 9 A TTORNE Y5.

Oct. 28, 1941. K. A. ROBINSON SPRING CONSTRUCTION Filed June 5, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I IN VEN TOR //d7Z iaiziysalz 1': Y W

,ZD J y/QMX. .4 TTORNE X6.

Patented Oct. 28, 1941 SPRING CONSTRUCTION Karl A. Robinson, Detroit, Mich., assignor to The Murray Corporation of America, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application June 5, 1939, Serial No. 277,375

6 Claims.

My invention relates to spring construction and particularly to a new type of frame for engaging and supporting rows of springs in a novel manner.

Effort has always been made to improve the frame supports and attaching means for spring seats and to that end constructions have been made materially lighter, while retaining the necessary strength. Wire has been utilized wherever possible .to form the frame as well as the interconnecting means providing a support for the springs.

In practicing my present invention, I form a rectangular frame of a border wire which is offset along the sides and across the front end to form the main frame element. In the plane of the major portion of .the frame and above the offset portion, the frame is continued by an additional wire, which is welded or otherwise secured thereto. In this manner, an offset portion is provided, preferably at the front of the seat, to produce the appearance of depth, while a frame portion forms a support for the coil springs, which springs may be of the same height, although such springs may vary to provide slope to the seat cushion from the front to the rear edge thereof.

-. Reinforcing straps interconnect the back edge of the frame to the front edge, the straps being offset at the front edge to extend downwardly to mate with a channel-shaped element extending across the front face of the frame. One flange of the channel-shaped element is extended on one side to provide clearance for the electrode which is employed to weld the extended flange of the channel to the deflected portion of the straps. Further wires may extend across the frame between the sides thereof, which wires and frame are preferably kinked at predetermined points along their length to prevent the shifting of the springs when clipped to the wires between such kinked portions.

The springs have the bottom coils supported in channel strips'which face toward each other wifh the endmost springs in each of the rows attached directly to the border frame wire by clips disposed between the kinked portions thereof. Additional vertical braces may be disposed in the channel at the base of the frame and attached to the top front border wire at spaced points to provide further rigidity to the border frame and to close the gap between .the border frame wire and the channel base frame at the front. An additional wire may be provided along the front edge intermediate the'top frame wire and the channel portion. Angle brackets are attached to the cross-bracing strips for the purpose of anchoring the seat on its support in the seat frame in the conventional manner.

Accordingly, the main objects of my invention are; to form a frame for a seat; having the front base portion of channel shape with one flange extended above the other and mated with elements which may be readily welded to the projected flange to form a frame of a seat from a wire bent in U-shape and offset at the side front edges and interconnected by a front channel element .to form a complete base element for the frame; to reinforce the frame of a seat by transversely disposed straps having ,the ends bent downwardly and engaged to a front channel base element, one flange of which is extended to permit the welding of the strap directly thereto; to continue the'top frame above the offset portion by providing an element therefor and parallel thereto which is welded to the frame not so offset; to provide kinks in the border wire of a frame between which springs are clipped toposition the spring along the wire; and in general to provide a light, but rigid frame for springs, which is simple in construction and economical of manufacture.

Other objects and features of novelty of my invention will be specifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring, for a. better understanding of my invention, to the following description taken in conjunction with .the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a broken view in elevation of a seat frame construction embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, taken on theline 22 thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 2, taken on the line 3- 3 thereof; I

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a por-- tion of the bottom frame;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 4, taken on the line 5-5 thereof;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 4, taken on the line 6-6 thereof;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 4, taken on the line 1-! thereof; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 4, taken on the line 8-8 thereof.

The seat structure of my present invention comprises a wire border element II, which is offset at the sides near the front, at H, and extended at l2 to the corner l3, where the ends are connected by a base element I4. The base element It is unique in that the element is of channel formation having one flange II extended a greater amount than the flange i3. This provides clearance for the welding electrode, which permits the direct welding of elements to the extended flange l5. An additional U-shaped wire border element i1 is welded or otherwise secured, at i8, to the border element II at the corner of the offset as illustrated more clearly in Fig. 4. The border element I1 is disposed parallel to the sides l2, corner l3, and the channel element It, and completes a rectangular spring supporting frame in the plane of the rear portion of the border element ll. Interiacent the border element l1 and the base element I, an additional wire I9 is disposed for reducing the size of the opening between the border element l1 and the base element l4. A plurality of bracing elements 22 interconnect the rear portion 2| of the border wire III, the border wire II, the wire I9 and the channel base element ll.

The bracing elements are of triple channel formation, as clearly illustrated in Figs. and 6, to provide strength. The end 23 of the element 22 is flattened at the rear end and welded to the border wire portion 2| at the rear of the frame. The front border wire I1 is welded to the element 22 which is deflected downwardly at 24 and welded to the wire I9 and having its flattened end, as illustrated in Fig. 7, extend into the channel element I4 and directly welded to its extending flange l5. Additional bracing wires 25 may be welded to the bracing wire H, the channel base element I4 and the wire I! at spaced points, as also illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4, and in the enlarged view of Fig. 8. Certain of the straps 22 may be provided with positioning brackets 25, as illustrated more clearly in Figs. 3 and 4, and in the enlarged view of Fig. 8, for the purpose of positioning the seat frame relative to the supports therefor.

Itwill be noted that the bracing elements 22 are provided with an outwardly directed central channel 3|, the sides of which are reversely formed to provide inwardly directed channels 32.

g The flanges 33 are deflected at 34 to form a flatend to receive the border wire 2|. The ends of the flanges 33 are welded to the centrally disposed wire 35, as illustrated in Fig. 6, and also to the top edge of the front border wire II, as illustrated in Fig. v7. The triple channel formation of the strap provides additional rigidity against weaving and bending of the resulting frame and a very light and rigid frame is provided which is simple in construction. All parts of the frame are readily welded, particularly along the front border edge-where the channel element has one flange extended to permit the application of electrodes directly to the flange and the element to be welded thereto.

Referring more specifically to Figs. 1 and 2, I have illustrated'a plurality of springs 31 having the lowermost coil disposed within the channel elements 38 where they are retained by having the flanges of the channel elements flanged in a known manner. The endmost coils in the rows are illustrated as being secured by clips 39 to the border wire portions I1 and 2| between the pair of kinks 4| provided at spaced intervals along the portions. The notches prevent the clips 39 from shifting longitudinally on the portions to thereby retain the rows aligned across the frame structure. The clips support the endmost springs of the rows to the border frame portions, which springs being attached to the channel elements 38, support the additional springs and the channel elements. At the top I the springs are interconnected by flexible border frame wires in the conventional manner. A central wire 35, disposed longitudinally of the frame interjacent the border wire portions l1 and 2|, is provided with enlarged kinks l2 projecting between the pair of channel elements 33 which are additionally supported thereby and prevent the channel'elements from shifting to further aid in retaining the rows of springs in aligned relation.

While I have described and illustrated but a single embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes, omissions, additions, and substitutions may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a seat construction, a base border frame member embodying a wire extending across the back, and at least a portion of the sides thereof. a front base border portion of channel formation joined to said wire and having one flange extending beyond the other, and angle shaped bracing means having one end secured to said extended flange of said channel border portion and the other end secured to said wire.

2. A seat construction, a border wire forming the back and sides of the seat frame and extending downwardly and forwardly adjacent to the front corners, a front channel border member receiving the ends of said wire and having one flange extended beyond the other, a border wire above the channel border member and welded to the first said border wire near the offset portion thereof to be substantially in the plane thereof, and a cross brace joining the front and rear border wires and having a downwardly extending end mated with the projecting flange of the channel member and welded or otherwise secured thereto.

3. A seat construction, a border wire forming the back and sides of the seat frame and ex-; tending downwardly and forwardly adjacent to the front corners, a front channel border member receiving the ends of said wire and having one flange extended beyond the other, a border wire above the channel border member and welded to the first said border wire near the corner portions of said frame to be substantially in the plane of said downwardly and forwardly extending portion, and an additional wire disposed between the front border wire and the channel member to reduce the opening therebetween.

4. In a seat construction, a border frame member extending forwardly then downwardly then continued forwardly at the ends along the side and extended across the front, an additional frame element of U-shape having its ends secured to said border frame member near the corners where it is deflected downwardly so as to be substantially in the plane thereof and lying above the portion which is continued forwardly along the side and extended across the front, cross braces interconnecting the frame and element in said plane and projected downwardly to engage the front extended portion all of which is secured together to form a rigid seat construc- OIL 5. In a seat construction, a base support, a border wire outlined in the shape of the seat and provided with pairs of spaced kinks and secured to said base support, a plurality of rows of springs, pairs of channel elements supporting said springs in rows, and clips for securing the endmost springs of said rows to the border wire at opposite sides of said seat and between said pairs of kinks to support the rows and retain the rows in position.

6. In a seat construction, a border wire outlined in the shape of the seat and provided with pairs of spaced kinks, a plurality of rows of springs, pairs or channel elements supporting said springs in rows, clips for securing the endmcst springs of said rows to the border wires between said pairs of kinks to support the rows and retain the rows in position, and an additional wire between said border wire having kinks projecting between said pairs or channel elements 10 to prevent said elements from shifting.

KARL A. ROBINSON. 

